Mars to ramp up production at Russian pet food plant

MOSCOW, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Mars Inc said on Thursday it would increase investment in one of its five pet food factories in Russia by 30 percent to enable it to reach its full capacity.

Candy manufacturer Mars said it would invest an additional 1.2 billion roubles ($19.5 million) before year end, having previously spent 4.0 billion roubles on the project.

The plant, located in the Rostov region some 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) south of Moscow, was launched in October 2017 and is one of Mars’ biggest investment projects in Russia in the past decade, the privately owned company said in a statement.

The factory, which makes Pedigree and Whiskas pet foods, is currently operating at 70 percent of capacity.